One $1,000 BlackBerry Investment, Through Every Phone Launch
By Chris Murray · Published Sep 29, 2026 · 2 min read
BlackBerry was one of the best-selling smartphone manufacturers of the late 2000s. This article follows one $1,000 investment in BlackBerry stock, made on September 6, 2006, the day the BlackBerry Pearl went on sale. Each row shows what that same $1,000 was worth on the day each following phone went on sale. For comparison, the S&P 500 columns show the same $1,000 put into an S&P 500 index fund (SPY) on the same day.
All figures include reinvested dividends and are valued at the August 31, 2026 close.
Dots mark each release. Dashed line: the $1,000 invested.
The $1,000 at each phone release
$1,000 invested September 6, 2006, valued on each release date and on August 31, 2026, dividends reinvested. Change: since the previous release.
| Released | Phone | Value in BlackBerry | Change | Value in S&P 500 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6, 2006 | Pearl 8100 | $1,000 | $1,000 | ||
| May 9, 2007 | Curve 8300 | $1,940 | +94% | $1,174 | +17% |
| Aug 4, 2008 | Bold 9000 | $4,378 | +126% | $995 | -15% |
| Nov 13, 2008 | Storm 9500 | $1,647 | -62% | $730 | -27% |
| Jul 11, 2009 | Tour 9630 | $2,506 | +52% | $737 | +1% |
| Aug 11, 2010 | Torch 9800 | $2,113 | -16% | $911 | +24% |
| Aug 8, 2011 | Bold 9900 | $822 | -61% | $954 | +5% |
| Jan 30, 2013 | Z10 | $518 | -37% | $1,319 | +38% |
| Oct 23, 2014 | Passport | $388 | -25% | $1,772 | +34% |
| Dec 16, 2014 | Classic | $358 | -8% | $1,799 | +2% |
| Nov 5, 2015 | Priv | $286 | -20% | $1,949 | +8% |
| Jul 25, 2016 | DTEK50 | $266 | -7% | $2,042 | +5% |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Latest close | $306 | +15% | $8,488 | +316% |
What the numbers show
- The $1,000 more than quadrupled to $4,378 by the Bold 9000 in August 2008. At its high, in June 2008, it was worth $5,548.
- As the iPhone and Android phones took over the smartphone market, it fell after almost every release that followed. By the DTEK50 in July 2016, it was worth $266.
- By August 31, 2026, it was worth $306. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 was worth $8,488.
This is the opposite of One $1,000 Apple Investment, Through Every iPhone Launch. In 2008, both companies were well known and selling popular phones. Only one of them is a famous investment today.
The stock traded as RIMM until 2013 and as BB since.
Remember your first smartphone? Try that date with BlackBerry, Apple, or any other company in the calculator and see how the stock moved from there.
Hypothetical results are for education only and are not financial advice.